While much of the off-season can be about golf and vacations, the Avalanche have had a busy past few days leading up to the holiday weekend. In the biggest of news, the Avalanche traded long time Av, Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot to Toronto for forward Nazem Kadri and defensive prospect, Calle Rosen. The Avalanche have also acquired Joonas Donskoi from San Jose, and Andre Burakovsky from the Capitals, as well as saying good-bye to veteran Semyon Varlamov.
I’ll be honest, I don’t do well with change, and never have (you can ask my mom), and this is especially true when it comes to the Avs. Even when I harped on Barrie countless times for sloppy mistakes, and despite the fact that Varly has not had another season comparable to the 2013-14 season, I still hate to see them leave. It’s like when you criticize a family member, but when someone outside the family says the same thing, it’s not acceptable. It’s the same with the Avs because to me, they are family. If I am anything, I am loyal, almost to a fault. However, it is all part of the game, and one of the reasons I wouldn’t make a good GM. I would have us still playing at McNichols Arena with a lineup consisting of Shjon Podein, Cody McLeod, David Aebischer, and Scott Parker.
So it’s a good thing that we have guys like Joe Sakic who can make the tough decisions that need to be made. It was with those decisions that the Colorado Avalanche have made the necessary moves to add depth to the club. Here is a quick breakdown of what the Avalanche are getting in their new line up.
Nazem Kadri, the 28-year-old Ontario native, has played for the Maple Leafs since he was drafted in 2009. He had 30+ goals in back to back seasons, however, when Toronto signed John Tavares, his ice time was diminished and he finished last season with 14 goals. Kadri will be stepping into the second line center, where he is expected to generate more offensively to relieve some of the pressure from the top boys. He is known to not only to be a goal scorer, but also to create scoring opportunities as well.
Kadri is known to be a passionate and hotheaded player. This reputation has stemmed from multiple suspensions due to hits on the opposing team. He was suspended in the last two playoff seasons. His play has been said to be dirty, and while this is the type of player you would hate on the opposing team, he is the guy that you love to have on your side. He defends his teammates, and until this week, Zadorov was one of the only enforcer type players we had since the departure of Cody McLeod. While his past behavior on the ice is not exactly ideal, he will bring a lot to the Avs. I mean, Claude Lemieux was voted #2 in “The Top 10 Most Hated NHL Players of All Time”, and do Avs’ fans hate Lemieux? Nope. I predict he will soon become a crowd favorite at The Can.
The Avalanche also signed Joonas Donskoi from the San Jose Sharks. If that name sounds familiar to Avs fans, it’s because he scored the game-winning goal against the Avs in Game 7 in May. Truthfully, I didn’t remember who scored that goal, and still prefer to block that from my mind. At 27, Donskoi will bring playoff experience to our young club, having played 50 playoff games in the past four seasons. Originally selected by the Florida Panthers in 2010, the Finish forward will also contribute to the second line, along with fellow newbie, Andre Burakovsky. Burakovsky, the 24-year-old forward from Sweden, will be coming to the Avs from the Capitals, who he won the Stanley Cup with in 2018.
The Avs didn’t stop there. They also signed defenseman Pierre-Edouard Bellemare from Vegas. The 34 year old French native will bring veteran leadership to the club. He will help to replace Soderberg who was traded to Arizona earlier in June for Kevin Connauton. He is considered a face-off specialist and came into the league at age 29 with the Flyers, but was picked by Vegas in the expansion draft. Bellemare was actually in his first year of chiropractic school when he signed to play with Sweden at age 20 and is fluent in French, Swedish and English.
The Avs have made a lot of moves, and if anything, Sakic has brought in more Swedish speakers for Landy to converse with. However, I think that overall the franchise did well to help build up our second line so that the Mikko-Landy-Mac line won’t be relied so heavily upon.
Change is never easy, but it is necessary to move forward. The Avalanche had a great season last year, but now the expectations are higher. Simply making the playoffs will not be enough. I think Sakic did a good job of helping to build up our team to meet those expectations. We will miss Barrie and Varly, but wish them all the best in their new homes. Let’s bring on the 2019-20 season!